Monthly Archives: June 2010

Jun29

Soup du Jour

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I feel like a lot of my posts lately have been about food.  I blame it mostly on the heat.  There aren’t too many projects I feel very compelled to accomplish when the temps are soaring towards a 100 degrees.  So I cook instead.  That actually sounds counter intuitive, given that standing over a hot stove sounds ridiculous on a hot day.  Nevertheless, the glories of a/c make it an easy enough task. My latest meal involved soup, yet again.

My poor husband is forced to eat a lot of soup.  While it is homemade, he tends to get a little tired of it.  Me, on the otherhand?  I love it!  I could eat soup every day and be as happy as a lark.  It is so versatile and can be chilled, hot, chunky, smooth, spicy, sweet…whatever your heart so desires.  My latest soup was made because we had lots of veggies that needed to be used before they got too past their prime.

I chopped the carrots, celery, leeks, and asparagus I had laying around into rough drunks.  I then heated freshly minced garlic in olive oil in a large, deep pan. 

After I could smell the garlic starting to brown, I added my chopped veggies along with a little salt n’ pepper stirring everything to coat.

I covered the veggies and let them cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.  I let them cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until softened.  In the meantime, I warmed up 4 cups of chicken broth.  After the veggies were softened, I poured the broth in with the vegs and added fresh thyme and two bay leaves.  The mix cooked on low, covered, for about 20 minutes.  Once I could really smell the bay leaves, I removed them and poured everything into my food processor.  Once thoroughly mixed to almost smooth consistency, I poured back into the pan and added aged english cheddar chunks.  I stirred until melted and served hot.

We enjoyed our little soup cups with a nice steak covered in blue cheese, sauteed asparagus with toasted walnuts, and a yeast roll.  Yum!  Just what the doctor ordered after a long day.

Jun27

Icing on the (cup) cake

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Last week was fairly hectic between work and preparing for Little Man’s birthday party this weekend.  The first phase of party planning concluded with the officially sending of the invitations.  I was a little later than I wanted to be about sending them out (oops) and in all truthfulness, it kind of slipped my mind until I remembered no invitations=no guests or playmates.  I did a quick invitation using Visio since I do not have photo shop.  They turned out pretty well anyhow, in my opinion.

We decided that having the party at our house was the simplest thing to do.  Nevertheless, the heat was still going to be an issue so we picked up a slip n’ slide for the big event.  We also shopped for the necessary burgers, hotdogs, buns, condiments, chips, and all the other little things that make a party (grab bags, sides, etc.).  With all this complete, we still needed the piece de resistance so to speak: cupcakes.

After a little brainstorming about how to make these little sweets a touch more special, we remembered ice cream cone cupcakes.  All you do is take flat bottomed wafer ice cream cones, fill them 2/3 full with batter, and bake them at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Easy!

I did manage to fill my cones a bit too full, so they overflowed a bit.  Nothing a little frosting couldn’t distract the eye from right?  Here is one pre-frosting.

And one post-frosting (it was homemade cream cheese frosting so hence a little messy) and sprinkles. 

They actually turned out to be quite yummy, although a touch too sweet for my tastes. 

As for the party itself, it was a blast!  The slip n’slide sprung a leak the second we turned on the water and, while it didn’t put a damper on the fun, it did get returned the next day.

It was a great party and I think Little Man had an awesome time celebrating his 3rd with his friends.  I know we did!

Jun23

(Chalk) Board Straight

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We have a fixation with charcoal paint. I’ve used it over a dozen times for different projects and still can’t seem to get enough of it.  So when Aaron said he needed something to keep track of his work orders, I immediately knew the solution.  I’m sure you’ve already assumed that my remedy involves chalk board paint.  Well, give yourself a pat on the back because you’re correct.

First step was taking the very blank wall in our former dining room now mutual home office and tape it off for our new chalkboard.

I’m no where near a perfectionist so I free taped it so to speak, using my two eyeballs to judge whether my lines were acceptably straight (or not). 

I popped open a leftover can of Moonstone tinted chalkboard paint I picked up from Lowe’s and went to town.  I decided to use a foam roller so no brush marks or strokes would be visible in the final product.  The paint definitely needed to be applied twice for even coverage.  We waited the recommended 48 hours before using, today being the first time Hubs could put the board into action.  I came home to find the chalkboard almost filled with progress from his day and quickly realized that I probably wouldn’t be getting an equal share to use as my own.  Oh well!  At least it’s serving a beneficial purpose and final makes use of that boring, blank wall.

Aaron also hung the magnet strip and metal tins we had picked up a while ago from Ikea.  He’s currently using them to store the colored chalk.  If I may say so myself, it adds a nice touch.

Jun22

Paving the Way

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Long ago I had discussed carving out some steps into the steep slope in our backyard.  Not much had been done to finish these steps since this task three months prior.   Instead, nature had taking her course in reclaiming her space and in no time my steps were barely discernible amongst the overgrowth. Please observe.

Obviously I had let things get a bit out of control.  It’s not like I was eating bon-bons instead of doing yard work, but I will admit I consciously avoided tackling this project.  That is until we planned for Little Man’s birthday party, the majority of which will be spent outdoors enjoying hamburgers, hot dogs, and a slip-n-slide.  Since it’s coming up this weekend, I knew that procrastinating on remedying the outdoor steps issue was not longer an issue.  So, I called up a local quarry and scheduled a delivery of 2 cubic yards of gravel.

This is what greeted me as I returned home from work on Friday.

I woke up early Saturday morning, around 6 am or so, and went to work in an effort to beat the heat.  I went to work pulling weeds and laying landscape mesh where my rocks would go.  About 50 or so wheelbarrow loads, 15 glasses of water, and about a dozen rest breaks, the steps and even a pathway were completed.  Behold the glories of my labor.

And finally one more shot to show off my handiwork.

Needless to say, I was a bit sore the next day.  The pain is worth it though since next weekend during Little Man’s birthday celebration the yard will look on pointe.

Jun18

Every Drop Counts

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Well I have managed to get into another plumbing situation and this time it was in our master bathroom.  The faucet had a little drip that seemed to get worse every day.  What was once a slow drip was quickly turning into a steady stream.  After a not so indirect suggestion that I fix it from my wife, I pulled out my tools and rubber washers and prepared to do my best.

 

On a side note, I can’t help but to think about a friend each time I see a leaky faucet.  Wine into Water is an organization that a friend of mine started to bring water to those who do not have any.  Wine into Water uses all sorts of creative ways to raise funds, mainly holding wine tasting, that will ensure people get the clean drinking water they need to survive.  (Long story short I think what he does is fantastic and I try to promote him as much as possible: winetowater.org).

Now I’ll get back to the leaky faucet.  First, I cut the main water to the house at the street.  The plumber that visited us for the downstairs vessel sink said each home has a main cut off inside their house…however we could not find one and cutting it off at the street was my only apparent option.

Secondly, and most importantly I pulled the drain stop to prevent any screws washers etc. from going down the drain leading to a whole laundry list of other things to take apart if this happens! (Very important that I did this as I almost lost a screw during the repair.  So don’t forget it!)

Next I was able to replace the worn washers with new ones and re-assembled the hot and cold handles.  You can clearly see the old washers had worn.  They could no longer form a tight seal and water could get through, hence causing the drip.

 I slipped the new washers onto the right parts and continued to put it all back together.

Once everything was put back together I went back to the street and cut the water on and that’s it!  I had a happy wife and a faucet that no longer leaked.  Win-win for everyone.

Jun16

I see a white wall and I want to paint it a color

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Okay..so today’s post title is a rather pathetic take on an iconic Rolling Stones song, but it couldn’t be more true.  I’m just not a white wall (or ceiling as may be the case) kind of person.  It makes me antsy to stare at that kind of starkness, even if it is camoflouged with all sorts of knick knacks, pictures, and such.  I see a white wall and I feel an overwhelming motivation to paint it.  Even if it’s just ecru, just not white. 

So it was with the ceiling in our living room.  I had already repainted the room from Elephant Gray to Sherwin William’s Crisp Linen.  I loved the freshness the new color gave the room.  It just seemed to pull the sunlight in. 

Has much as an improvement over the previous color as it was, it just needed a little something more.  So why not paint the ceiling?  I headed my busy body self on over to Sherwin Williams and selected my color.  I opted for Daybreak, a soft limey green that would add an even fresher touch to the living room.

I love how subtle it is.  A great color for the ceiling and so pretty!

The first step was doing the trim work.  I finished this chore in about half an hour with Little Man keeping me company.

The following night I borrowed drop clothes from my MIL and went to work.

In about 40 minutes, the ceiling had a new coat of paint and was looking spiffy.  I cleaned up my mess and admired my handiwork.  Aaron and I are planning on putting up crown molding in this room, painted in a glossy white (yes white) that will really set off the contrast between these two colors.  In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak of these colors playing off one another. I love.

Jun15

Comfort Food

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I was feeling a bit under the weather this weekend and, as such, got very little accomplished outside of convalescing in my bed.  Not too mention that it was hot.  Very hot.  Now, however, I am feeling ten trillion times better.  At times like these, I remember an old Helen Keller quote, “The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there was no limitations to overcome.  THe hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to transverse”

So now that I waxed philosophical on you, I will admit that when I am sick I want soup!  Well, at least, when I can manage to eat.  But anyhoo, come Sunday evening I got that same old hankering for a nice, hearty bowl of soup.  I had saved a recipe from the Canadian Food & Drink magazine, a periodical that is issued by Ontario’s Liquor Control Board (or something like that).  This little glossy is stock full of delicious recipes and drink pairings and it just so happened to feature a recipe for Cauliflower Stilton soup.  Yummers!

Without further ado, here is the recipe:
 First gather your ingredients.  It sounds like a lot of items, but all contribute in their own way.

  • 1/2 head of cauliflower
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 onion
  • 1 leek
  • 4-5 thyme sprigs (fresh if available)
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable if you prefer)
  • 5 oz. Stilton ( or roquefort or other blue if you prefer)
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

First remove the outer leaves from the head of lettuce and pull off the stem.  Pour the chicken stock into a medium saucepan, add the stem and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn it down to a simmer for 20 minutes.  While your stock is  simmering, chop your celery, leek, and onion and melt your butter in a large saucepan.  Once the butter is melted, add your veggies and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until soft but not before they loose their color.  Chop cauliflower florets into 2 inch pieces.  After the veggies have cooked for their allotted time, add florets and the leaves of the thyme only (no stems).  Stir and add a double dash of salt and some cracked black pepper.  Strain your stock and pour it over the veggies. 

 Cover the mixture for 20 minutes or until florets are soft.  Once soft, pour your mixture into a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth. 

 Return to saucepan.  Add 5 oz. stilton, 1/3 cup whipping cream, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot and enjoy!

So that is it!  But I will tell you that the original recipe had directions to make a date, apricot, pine nut relish, but in my near delirious state I forewent that part.  Instead I used Major Grey’s chutney.  It added a nice kick to the soup and was as easy as going to the market.

I also made a quick london broil that I had been seasoning in baslamic vinegar oil concoction.  I used this to make roast beef sandwiches to go with the soup and provide just a touch more sustenance.  Let’s just say that Hubs was pleased, and my weary body revived.

Jun10

Even Steven

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Keeping a house in proper condition is a lot of work.  Sure, you could pay someone to take care of all those neverending tasks for you.  I, however, do not have that kind of expendable income and I actually like to do housework myself.  Maybe it’s my inner control freak?  Whether that’s the case or not, Aaron and I’s willingness to do the work ourselves (most of the time) saves us big bucks and constantly teaches us new things. 

One house issue needing attention was present from our move in date.  It involved the walkway to our front porch, particularly a section that had sunk over time.  Even this is an old picture, pre-painted exterior, I have conveniently pointed out the disconnect between the sunken section and the portion nearest the house.  I lost count how many times I tripped on this spot!

Lucky for us, Aaron’s dad is not only super handy, but he is more than willing to lend an extra set of hands.  If it’s possible, he might even have been more annoyed with this issue than us hence he was more than ready to help us remedy it.  He and Aaron decided that they would disjoin this section, leverage it up, prop it with bricks, and then presto chang-o it would be good as new.  They started with making sure the section was a clean break by cutting it with a saw first.

Once the cut was complete, Aaron and his dad shoveled the dirt away from the section and hoisted it up with spare lumber.

Our crooked little path was so close to be fixed for good.  Bye bye, little tripper!

Once the guys had it propped, they stuck a brick under each side, put the dirt and grass back in place and they were done.  It took about a half hour and likely save us many goofs in the future.

One house dilemma solved, only 236 to go (kidding!).

Jun8

Painted Lady

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For the last few weeks we have been slowly painting the exterior of our home.  It’s been slow going, but it was somehow, someway getting done.  That is until the temperature rose, the heat index climbed, and I was faced with our home’s two story backside whose upper most parts could not be reached by any ladder we owned.  It was time to call in the professionals.  And when I say professionals, I mean two friends of our neighbor’s yard guy that were super cheap.

Anyhoo, this was the back of our house as of 8 pm last night.

Hubs had painted a portion of the back, but it accounted for about 1/20th  of the total that needed to be painted.  I didn’t foresee me dangling from the top of a ladder to get all the high spots, hence calling in the pros was nothing short of necessary if we wanted to have the house fully painted within a reasonable time frame. 

The painters came today and 10 gallons and $550 later, the house was painted.  I was very pleased to come home and find it all finished.

What made the evening even better were the beautiful magnolia blossoms on our neighbor’s tree.  As my wonderful neighbor said to me the other day, every good southern girl should have a magnolia in her front yard.   I couldn’t agree more.

Jun8

Down the Drain

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The last time I discussed our basement bathroom renovation project, Spring was just rounding the corner. A mere two months later, we actually have gotten around to semi-completing it.  Pretty sad, right?  We had actually left our bathroom in a state where there was only a wobbly toilet and no sink. 

One of the main reasons we haven’t made much progress was our hemming and hawing over whether to go with a porcelain or glass vessel, whether to order it from Overstock or get it from Lowe’s, etc., etc., etc.  We finally broke down and made a trip to Lowe’s to pick up a relatively inexpensive glass bowl, faucet, and kit.  Total cost: just under $200.  While probably not our cheapest option, at least we actually had the materials necessary to make the bathroom functional once again.

The first step once we had the necessary supplies was drilling into our roadside table turned vanity.  Please note, that a fast turning router and wood do not go well together, unless you like the highly lucky result of fire.  We had to take several breaks during this step since we smelled burning wood more than once.

Aaron got the majority of piping put together, but in the end we opted to go with a professional plumber to make sure it was a-okay.  A quick $100 later, our sink was fully functional and our toilet no longer wobbly. 

We still needed a sconce for our little bathroom and picked one up for a mere $20 at the Habitat for Humanity store where we picked up our grass rug remnant.  It was probably a market sample leftover donated from one of the showrooms and is pretty heavy.  Aaron and I liked how it didn’t look like something you could pick up at Lowe’s and Home Depot, but still had a reasonable price tag.

We thought it not only looked quality but was rather different because the arm fully extends.  Not bad for $20 bucks.  While we are glad to have made some progress on this room, we still need to find a mirror, add accessories, finish out the molding, and then….we’ll be done!  Fingers crossed it won’t take another three months to get there.